Vizio is definitely one of the top brands in North America, especially if you look at their sales and market share, but it is not a top-of-the-line brand. If you are looking for a premium quality Home Theatre System that has absolutely the best picture, Vizio won’t likely be on your short list. However, you will likely pay a lot more for that high-end picture. Vizio does so well in the market because of their value. For the price, it is hard to find an equal combination of quality and features. I am going to show you how to create a couple of different home theatre rooms using Vizio that anyone would be proud of, and they won’t break the bank—especially considering what you get.
Although 4K is going more mainstream this year, I am going to give you two Vizio options: an HDTV and a 4K option. HD is still the main source of content by a long shot, and the price of HD has become so economical for what you get, I would be doing a disservice not providing a great HD option. 4K is where the market is going, and even though 4K content isn’t pervasive yet, you will still get a higher quality picture and be well set up for the future. Both options are excellent for a theatre room, it will depend on what budget you are comfortable with.
VIZIO HD Home Theatre System
If you are going for an HD TV, Vizio’s M-Series is definitely the way to go, and I have picked the 60” M-Series M602i-B3. It is only a few dollars more than the same size E-Series but has a couple of material differences. The main difference is that the M-Series picture quality is better because the display is a full array with twice as many independent LED zones. This provides better contrast, deeper blacks, and much better picture definition. In addition the refresh rate is twice as fast at 240Hz vs 120Hz in the E-Series. To me picture quality and size are the most important features and this M-Series is nice and big with a great picture.
Both the M and E series are smart TVs, but the other material difference is that the M-Series has a QWERTY keyboard on the remote, whereas the E-series doesn’t. You will be thankful for the convenience of this feature when you try to put in your Netflix user name and password for the first time, or you start using the web browser. I really like the way Vizio designed the remote to be a normal full function remote on one side and a keyboard on the other side. This is an ingenious way to use all the real estate on the remote.
The sound on either of these sets is nothing to write home about, so it is a shame to waste that beautiful 60” screen with the flat sound of a flat screen TV. Fortunately, Vizio has done a great job designing unique sound bars that are more like surround systems because they have a wireless subwoofer and a couple of satellite speakers that go behind you. The Vizio 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer (S4251w-B4) is a great match with this TV. It has the added benefit of an LCD display on the remote so you can see exactly what you are doing with it, and it has Bluetooth so you can pair up your iPod, Smartphone or any other Bluetooth device to play music with.
Vizio 4K Ultra HD System
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the HD system I just described, but if you really want to step it up and make it more future-proof, 4K Ultra HD is the way to go. And the nice thing about Vizio is that they make 4K more affordable than any other brand. The Vizio 60” 4K set is typically hundreds or more than a thousand dollars less than most of their competitor’s 4K sets. But the Vizio picture quality is excellent, as you would expect with a 4K set.
The 60” 4K UHD P602UI-B3 LED Smart TV is my recommended selection. It has an excellent picture as not only is it a Ultra High Definition set with 4 times the resolution of the HD set mentioned above, it also has twice as many independent LED zones as the M-Series. To summarize the E-Series HDTVs have 16 zones, the M-Series HDTVs have 32 zones, and the P-Series UHD TVs have 64 zones. The more independent zones means the more contrast, the more definition and colour clarity as well as deeper blacks. All said, the picture keeps on improving.
Like all the other Vizio sets this 4K TV is a Smart TV and like the M-Series it comes with a QWERTY keyboard on the backside of the remote. All of Vizio’s TVs are smart TVs and they have done a great job of developing their smart platform. It is easy to use, has the advantage of the QWERTY keyboard, and has alternate ways to use it so you can choose what works best for you. I had a chance to review it so have a look at my post here.
To augment this great 4K set, you should get a Vizio sound bar and a great one to pair up with this 4K set is the Vizio 5.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer (S5451w-C2). This sound bar is nice and wide so it will look great with a 60” TV, but more importantly it is another sound bar that will provide a better surround effect. That’s because it not only has a wireless subwoofer but a couple of satellite speakers that are to be placed behind you. It has better sound than the sound bar I recommended above with the M-Series HDTV because it has bigger speakers, a little more power, and improved electronics. It will work extremely well with either system.
If you are looking for a great value system, you cannot help but consider Vizio. They may not be the top of the line, but they perform extremely well for the money spent. Although I have recommended a couple of 60” systems they have the same models in a 70” size, which will absolutely not disappoint. If your budget or space won’t accommodate it they also have a 50” model. Vizio can make any home theatre room sing, and the proof is that they are one of the top 3 brands in the massive US market. If they weren’t good, they would never be able to achieve that.
